


Why Try To Change Me Now

by Ghostoftreebeard



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Detectives, Eventual Smut, F/M, Lots of Dicks, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Secret Admirer, Tinder Woes, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-18 18:17:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13687164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostoftreebeard/pseuds/Ghostoftreebeard
Summary: Jyn Erso wants a date for Valentine's Day so she tries online dating all the while ignoring her crush on her partner on the force, Cassian Andor.  A mystery secret admirer shows up and complicates things further.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't make the sign ups for the Valentine's Exchange but this popped into my head so I figured that I'd contribute. The Tinder stuff is legit based on real life experiences of friends and some of the conversations actually happened in real life.
> 
> Also my first public attempt at smut. Eeeekkk!

**Wednesday February 7th**

 

"Why don't you just admit that you've got a crush on Cassian?" Leia asserted as she leaned back in her desk chair and took a sip from her tall coffee cup.

 

Jyn glared at her from the next desk over and rolled her chair closer as she angrily whispered, "Shhhhh!  Will you keep your voice down?!"

 

The precinct was bustling that day so the danger of being overheard was actually quite low but one could never be too careful.

 

"Just admit it and I'll shut up," Leia smirked.

 

"Fine.  I do.  But that's as far as it goes.  Keep your mouth shut," Jyn conceded.

 

Leia pondered for a moment and then prodded some more," Have you tried talking to him about it?  Valentine's Day is a week away..."

 

Jyn glared at her.  "He's my partner!  That is literally the last thing I'm going to do!" she gritted out.

 

Leia hummed as she sipped her coffee, "I'm just saying, maybe you should."

 

Ding.

 

Jyn's phone beckoned from her desk.  She swiped it on to find a message from a guy that she had been talking to on Tinder. 

 

"Gah!" she shouted when the message (a photo) popped up.

 

Leia was right behind her in a second, looking over her shoulder at the screen.  "That's no moon," she noted.

 

Jyn's face scrunched up and she sighed, "No it's a dick."

 

"It's a trap," Leia continued with the nerd humor.

 

Jyn sighed dejectedly again, hand now on her forehead, "It's always a trap."

 

"Why are you on Tinder again?  It seems like a lot of dicks," Leia noted.

 

"So many dicks but, like you said, Valentine's Day is in a week and not all of us have obnoxiously handsome significant others to take us out to dinner," Jyn said pointedly.

 

Leia nodded nonchalantly, "Oh Han and I will probably end up bickering and then having hateful make up sex.  Why Tinder, of all the apps, Jyn?"

 

"Sounds fun," Jyn began and then pointing to the phone, "And that one is a doctor!  He seemed promising until this."  She moved her open palm in a giant circle over the phone for emphasis.

 

Leia just nodded disbelievingly.

 

"I feel like that meme of the girl with the hot dogs raining down on her face.  That is what Tinder feels like," Jyn exclaimed.

 

Leia looked at Jyn as she sat back in her chair.

 

"What?" Jyn said defensively.

 

"You know you could just talk-" Leia began.

 

Jyn cut her off, "Absolutely not."

 

.................

**Thursday February 8th**

 

Jyn crunched on a French fry and licked the salt from her fingers.  She searched fruitlessly for a napkin in the middle console of the police cruiser.

 

"Here," Cassian said as he held out a napkin with one hand as his other remained on the steering wheel.

 

Jyn plucked it from his hand with a quick, "Thanks."

 

She wiped the grease from her fingers as she looked out the window at the houses passing by and asked," So this is the suspect's step mother, right?"

 

Cassian nodded, eyes on the road, "Yeah.  Bodhi said she seemed eager to help.  She approached us."

 

"Hmmm," Jyn acknowledged, "Maybe too eager.  Do you think she has another motive?"

 

"Hard to tell until we talk to her," he began," but I hope she has at least some insight into where he could be."

 

Ding.

 

Jyn swiped on her phone and was immediately inundated with a picture of a lowly-lit penis.  "Jesus!" she cried.

 

"What?" Cassian asked, eyes leaving the road for a second.

 

Jyn turned the phone screen to face him.  His face melted from curiousity to disgust as he realized what it was,  "Jyn, whyyy?"

 

"Uhhhh, it's Tinder," she groaned as she turned off the screen.  "It starts out pleasant enough but within a few hours, dicks."

 

"Have you actually met anyone?  Like, in person?" He hedged.

 

Jyn sighed and said, "No.  I can't get past the horrible penises.  Like, no offense, they're not pretty!  No one wants to see that!  And yet, they keep coming!"

 

"None taken.  I quite agree, actually.  Why are you on there then?" Cassian answered.

 

"I don't know," she began, wondering what possessed her to show her crush another man's penis, before asking, "Have you ever done this?"

 

He looked at her curiously before saying, "Like Tinder?  No.  I prefer dating the old fashioned way."

 

Jyn raised her eyebrows in mock exasperation, "Well good for you!  We can't all be as lucky as you, Captain!"

 

Cassian huffed and muttered almost under his breath, "I don't know about that."

 

An awkward silence fell over the car.  Why did she bring this up with him?  She didn't have to show him the picture!  Her feelings were leading to cringeworthy actions.  Dammit.

 

Cassian parallel parked the car and they got back into more comfortable territory: interrogation and chasing criminals.

 

............

 

**Friday February 9th**

 

Jyn walked into Leo's Bar after her shift ended.  It was her team's weekend rotation off so they were already there for happy hour.

 

Jyn waved at Leia and Chirrut and walked to the bar.  She noted on her way that Cassian  was over by the pool table with Kay.  He had not acknowledged her entrance. 

 

As she waited at the bar for her beer, Bodhi sidled up to her, placed something in front of her on the bar, and said, "Hey, I was told to give this to you."

 

Jyn looked down and picked up a single orange spider mum with a small card attached.

 

To: Jyn

From: Your Secret Admirer

 

It was typed so she couldn't do a handwriting analysis on it.  Damn.

 

Her eyes moved to Bodhi's which widened upon inspection, "Who, Bodhi?!"

 

Bodhi squeaked and jumped away from her like she was a hungry tiger.  "Not allowed to tell!  Not me!" He stammered out as he ran over to Leia for safety.

 

Jyn stared at the mystery gift and quickly stowed it in her shoulder bag.  Her detective brain immediately went to work.

 

They obviously knew her enough to know that she'd figure out a handwritten note, hence the typing.

 

They also knew not to get her a rose.  Too boring and cliche.  And she truly did like spider mums.

 

She scanned the room.  Obviously not Bodhi.  Baze and Chirrut were gay, so nope.  She didn't think Kay was into anyone, so that wasn't likely.  Melshi, maybe?  One of the new junior officers?  That would be innappropriate.

 

And then there was Cassian but he still had not so much as looked her way.  Wouldn't he be looking for her reaction if he had been the sender?

 

Jyn sighed and put it out of her head and tried to enjoy the evening with her crew.

 

...........

 

**Saturday February 10th**

 

Saturday mornings were for sparring at the gym, even on off weekends.

 

Cassian circled Jyn, crouched low, shuffling from foot to foot.  "Any more works of art from your digital admirers?"

 

Jyn threw a jab to his right side but he agilely maneuvered out of the way and spun to her other side, "No, I've given up on the internet.  It's too scary in there and, besides, haven't you heard, I have a secret admirer?" She raised her eyebrows coyly, deflecting a punch to her shoulder.

 

"Ahh.  Any idea who it might be?" He hummed.

 

"No idea.  Bastard wouldn't even leave me a good handwriting sample," she threw back.

 

"That's a shame," Cassian said before faking a move to her right.

 

Jyn knew what he was up to so she let him swipe her feet out from under her on the left but spun towards him on the way down, gaining the upper hand and pinning him to the mat.

 

She held his wrists down on the sides of his heads, hovering over him, hips pressed into his, both breathing heavy.  "Checkmate," she grinned down at him.

 

A dark grin began to inch across his face, almost predatory, as he purred, "Maybe you should be more observant, Jyn."

 

Jyn felt a shock of panic.  Was it him?  What was he talking about?  He took advantage of her distraction and rolled her off of him, kicking her legs out when she tried to stand.

 

Oh, observant to the match, that was all.

 

They both lay on the mat side by side, panting and laughing before calling it a day.

 

............

 

**Sunday February 11th**

 

It was evening and Jyn was getting hungry.  She was also feeling too lazy to cook.  Just as she grabbed her phone to order a pizza, there was a knock at the door.

 

Through the peephole of her apartment door, she could see a pizza delivery woman in the hallway.  Well this was weird.

 

She opened the door and said," I didn't order a pizza."

 

The woman looked at a paper taped to the box, "Are you Jyn Erso?"

 

Jyn blinked before confirming, "Yes but I didn't order a pizza."

 

The woman began to grin and Jyn knew what was up as she said, "It's from your secret-"

 

"Admirer," Jyn finished with a sigh.

 

Oh my god, this woman was giving her hearteyes as she said, "It's soooo sweet!"

 

Jyn felt her patience wearing thin so she grabbed the box and told the woman,"I hope he/she tipped you well."

 

"Oh yes!  He did!  Have a good night!" The woman squealed as Jyn shut the door.

 

Jyn sat on the couch and stared at the box.  When she opened it, she found that it was pepperoni, onion, and green pepper with extra garlic sauce.  Her favorite.

 

Who was this dude?

 

.........

 

**Monday February 12th**

 

Jyn stared at the white craft box on her desk with a dozen donuts from her favorite bakery.  All yeast, no cake.  Lots of fudge icing.  A note attached.

 

Secret Admirer strikes again.

 

"Maybe it's Cassian," Leia said, plucking a devil's food from the box.

 

Jyn shook her head, "He's not even here today.  He had court in the next county over for that case he consulted on."

 

"What does the card say?" Leia asked around a mouthful of chocolate.

 

Jyn looked at the paper, mouth thinly pressed, "It's an invitation.  For a date.  On Valentine's Day."

 

"Oooooo!  The plot thickens!" Leia cooed, "Are you gonna go?"

 

Jyn leaned her forehead to her desk and groaned," I don't know!  This is worse than the Tinder dicks."

 

Leia countered, "Nothing, I repeat, nothing is worse than Tinder dicks.  This is sweet.  You should go.  Or tell Cassian that you like him and want to have his babies.  You gotta do something."

 

Jyn groaned again, louder, and shoved a sprinkled donut into her mouth.

 

At least her Secret Admirer was allowing her to eat her feelings.

 

.........

 

**Tuesday February 13th**

 

Jyn kept looking at Cassian from across the file room as he sifted through boxes, searching for the one with the right evidence.

 

It couldn't be him.  Could it?  This whole thing was driving her nuts.

 

"Find anything?" He called, now closer to her.

 

Jyn looked down at her open box.  What was in here?  She had no idea.  She could only focus on one thing.  Gah! "Nope," she said, attempting calm.

 

Enough was enough.  She had to figure this out.  "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" She aimed for nonchalance.  Thought maybe that she pulled it off.

 

She could see him look at her from the corner of her eye as he smiled and said, "I actually have a date."

 

"Oh," she felt her stomach sink and she tried her best to keep it together,"That's nice."

 

She was trying hard not to look at his face.  If she had, she might have seen concern.

 

"And you?  Do you have a date?" He inquired.

 

Jyn sighed, "Maybe.  I don't know yet."

 

That awkward silence was back.

 

It didn't go away for the rest of the day. 

 

Jyn kept it together until she got home.  Then she let herself cry.  She hadn't realized how much she had wanted her admirer to be Cassian until it was clear that it wasn't him.

 

.........

 

**Wednesday February 14th**

 

"Ready for the big date?" Leia asked as she gathered her purse, readying to leave for the day.

 

Jyn shrugged, "Not going.  It'll just be me and 90's Meg Ryan and a bottle of wine."

 

Leia frowned.  "Where's Cassian?"

 

Jyn pretended to pay close attention to the report on her desk and said with no emotion in her voice, "He already left.  He has a date."

 

Leia stared at her friend, slowly nodded, and said," Oh."

 

Leia opened her mouth to say more but Jyn cut her off, "I don't want to talk about it.  Leave it, Leia."

 

Leia nodded and backed slowly away toward the exit.

 

...........

 

Jyn had just settled into the pile of blankets on her couch, wineglass in hand, personal chocolate cake on the coffee table, the intro to French Kiss playing on the tv, when there was a knock at the door.

 

At first, she ignored it but the sound of Leia's voice boomed, "Open the door, Jyn!"

 

Startled, Jyn moved cautiously to the door.  Leia burst in carrying a dress on a hanger and a bag.

 

"What the hell?!" She exclaimed as Leia began rummaging in the bag.

 

"You're going on the date." Leia said, thrusting the dress into Jyn's hands,"No arguing.  You're already late."

 

Jyn opened her mouth to protest but Leia cut her off, "No.  Just trust me.  Please."

 

Jyn rolled her eyes and groaned but complied with her command.  Leia was scary.

 

Thirty minutes later, Jyn was pushed out of the Uber in front of the park where she was supposed to meet her secret admirer.  She had on a knee-length red dress, she was wearing make-up, and her hair was brushed and straightened.  She had to hand it to Leia, she felt quite pretty.

 

Leia yelled at her from the car, "Don't you dare chicken out now!  I'm late for my own dinner because you are an idiot.  My idiot, but still an idiot."

 

Jyn waved her on, "I'm fine.  Go on."

 

The car pulled away as Jyn took a deep breath and turned to walk down the path.

 

White fairy lights hung from the bare winter trees.  A light dusting of snow covered the lawn.  The light grew brighter as she neared the fountain where her mystery suitor would be waiting.  If he hadn't already left, that is.

 

Her stomach grew more restless with every step.  Her chest, heavy and aflutter.

 

She turned the corner and looked around the fountain courtyard.  The fountain didn't run in the winter, but was draped with many string of lights that glittered in the darkness.  At first, she didn't see anyone and her heart sank (or was that relief?).  Then she saw him.

 

Perched on the side of the fountain, elbows resting on his knees, head and shoulders hunched in defeat, and holding an arrangement of orange spider mums, was Cassian. 

 

Jyn felt her heart speed up so fast, "It is you!"

 

His head popped up so fast she worried that he might get whiplash.  His eyes wide and disbelieving.  He came to stand as he choked out, "You came."

 

They closed the distance between each other, breath visible in the cold evening air.  She began, "I thought you had a date?"

 

He laughed, "I was hoping with you but after that conversation yesterday…I  thought for sure you had figured out that it was me and were disappointed."

 

"I had no idea!  I thought for sure that you didn't like me like that, that it couldn't be you.  I was only disappointed that it wasn't you, I-" she cut herself off and then continued, "We're such idiots!"

 

Cassian nodded his head and they both started laughing because this whole situation, the angst and drama, was just a massive miscommunication.  They could have avoided it all, even the unsolicited dicks.

 

Cassian stepped to her, raising a hand tentatively to her cheek, "I don't just like you.  I think I love you.  Have for a while."

 

Any nervous energy had now been converted into intense warmth, despite the cold, as she whispered, her forehead touching his, "Me too."

 

He wrapped his other hand around her waist and pulled her in just as she lifted her face to meet his lips.  It was gentle and sweet and so hard-won.

 

He pulled away, but his arm still stayed wrapped around her, "Well, the dinner reservation has long since passed.  Any ideas?"

 

"I feel like take-out is more our style anyway," she began, shifting to tuck herself under his arm at his side as they began to walk away from the fountain.  "I have chocolate cake and a bottle of wine at my place.  I mean, I was going to enjoy them myself but I guesssss I can share."

 

He moved to tickle her side in retaliation for her sass as he muttered in her hair, "That sounds perfect."

 

…………………

 

**Thursday February 15th**

 

Early morning sunlight fell on two partially filled wine glasses that sat next to two abandoned open boxes of Thai take on a coffee table.  A black tie lay forgotten on the arm of the couch.  A red dress puddled on the hall floor next to a men's black Oxford shoe swiftly followed by its mate. 

 

Two socks.  A pair of charcoal slacks.  A white button-down shirt. 

 

A pair of navy boxer briefs.

 

A lacy black bra.

 

Black bikini panties at the foot of the bed.

 

Jyn Erso runs her fingers through Cassian Andor's hair, nails digging roughly into his scalp.  She clenches around his fingers as his tongue licks at the sensitive place between her thighs.  She cries out as he moans into her, holding her hips down with one hand, spreading her thigh open with the other.

 

Later, Cassian will have to run up to his apartment for a change of clothes as they rush to get to work on time.  They'll try to stagger their entrance into the precinct but they will fail and Leia will glare at them with a smirk on her face and say, "Like I said, idiots."

 

Chirrut will slap a twenty dollar bill into Bodhi's hand as he whisper-screams, "Yesssssss!  I knew it!"

 

They'll not only find their missing suspect and arrest him but take in the step-mother as well because, it turns out, she was in on the crime all along.

 

But right now they are in their hazy bubble with no one but each other.  Cassian hovers over Jyn and she sighs into his mouth as he easily slides inside her.  He kisses her face and she blushes when he tells her, "You're so beautiful."  And she looks in his eyes and knows that he means it.

 

This morning is softer.  It's lighter than the previous night when sex was the impatient and desperate rush of two people who have pined for each other for far too long.

 

And after he comes with her name on his lips, after she kisses his hair and cradles his head to her chest, after they bemoan the fact that they could have been doing this all along, Jyn thinks that maybe Valentine's Day isn't so bad after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of (Terrible) Detectives of the Heart, Cassian's Perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I couldn't stop.

**Wednesday February 7th**

 

"We think you should ask Jyn out."  Cassian abruptly stopped pouring creamer into his coffee as he slowly turned toward the speaker.

 

"Kay, I told you not to talk about this!" He gritted out, pointedly looking to Bodhi at Kay's side.

 

Kay seemed unfazed as he said, "Everyone knows you like her.  It's obvious."

 

"Yup, obvious," Bodhi agreed.

 

Cassian rubbed his eyes with his free hand as Kay continued, "We're tired of the pining.  You haven't been on a date with anyone else in a long time.  The time for action is now."

 

"But I don't even think she likes me like that," Cassian argued.  He worried that if he announced his intentions to her and she didn't feel the same, she would see him as the creepy co-worker creating a hostile work environment.  She wouldn't want him as a partner anymore.  They worked so well together as it was.  He told Kay and Bodhi as much.

 

Bodhi looked like he wanted to say something.  "Spit it out, Bodhi!"

 

"I, uh, don't think that's going to be a problem," Bodhi began, "I, uh, hear things sometimes-"

 

"Like, _oh I have a crush on Cassian_?" Cassian did his best higher pitched impression of Jyn (poorly).

 

"No but context clues," Bodhi said, his voice dropping off.

 

Cassian thought for a moment.  "Ughh!  Fine!  How about I do a secret admirer thing where the clues get more obvious every day so by Valentine's Day she knows it's me and she can choose whether or not to go on a date with me?"

 

Kay stared blankly at Cassian before offering, "Or you could just ask her out?"

 

"No! It's romantic!  I love it!" Bodhi squealed, clasping his hands in front of his chest.

 

Cassian looked at Kay while pointing at Bodhi as if to say _See?_

 

Kay rolled his eyes and turned to leave the break room, "I think that is a terrible idea but no one listens to me so whatever.  Just do something!"

 

"I may need your help," Cassian told Bodhi who looked only too happy to comply.

 

........

 

**Thursday February 8th**

 

 

Cassian was second guessing this whole thing.

 

Why would Jyn show him another man's penis if she had any romantic inclinations toward him?

 

But then there had been a moment, as they were walking out of the precinct to their cars, where Jyn had turned toward him looked from his eyes to his lips and then away.  There was an electricity between them in these moments that kept happening.  At least he thought there was.

 

So he had bought the flower, a spider mum currently occupying space in a vase of water on his kitchen counter.  He remembered her saying that she liked them in passing one time and self-consciously hoped that she wouldn't find that creepy of him.

 

He printed out the message and affixed it to the card.  He wasn't ready to make it obvious just yet.  He wanted to gauge her reaction.

 

He sighed, took a drink of his beer, and looked at his work on the kitchen counter.  Onward.

 

..........

 

**Friday February 9th**

 

_Don't look over there.  She just walked in, but don't look._

 

Cassian's mind panicked as his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. 

 

The plan was in motion.  Any moment now and Bodhi would deliver his message.  There was no turning back.

 

He turned back to the game of pool that he was currently losing to Kay ("It's all about geometry, Cassian") but couldn't help but glance discreetly every so often back at the bar.

 

"Bodhi's making his approach," Kay muttered, smearing his cue with blue chalk.

 

Cassian had been in the process of lining up a shot which he scratched spectacularly.

 

"You're even worse of an opponent than usual this evening.  Distracted?" Kay mused.

 

"Shut it, Kay," Cassian growled, forcing himself not to look at Jyn for the thousandth time.

 

The rest of the night passed with no obvious deviation from the normal.  Cassian had noticed that Jyn had placed the flower in her bag, petals barely sticking out.  She did not mention it at all but he did notice that she moved her hand gently over the petals every so often, almost absentmindedly.

 

And he had hope.

 

.........

 

**Saturday February 10th**

 

Cassian was in a precarious situation and needed a way out.

 

Jyn was hunched over him, her face very close to his, his wrists trapped beneath her hands, her legs straddling his own, her hips slotted against his.  It was a position that he had imagined once or twice before but usually when he was in the privacy of his own bedroom.

 

He needed to get out of this situation (although, he also really didn't want to) before it became painfully obvious to all parties involved what was going on in his head.

 

So instead of kissing her like he really wanted to, he flirted with her which seemed to confuse her, and he was able to knock her from her position.

 

As they lay side by side on the mat, he was relaxed that, from her comments earlier, she was pretty pleased with having an admirer.  He was pleased that she had also seemingly given up the online dating.

 

The hope in his chest grew.

 

.........

 

**Sunday February 11th**

 

Cassian patiently double checked the pizza in front of him.  Pepperoni, green peppers, onions, extra garlic sauce.  Jyn's favorite. "Can you throw another extra cup of sauce in there?  I'll pay extra."

 

The delivery woman stared at him before confirming, "So you want four cups of garlic sauce?  That's a lot of sauce."

 

Cassian never broke her stare, "Yeah.  She's likes a lot of sauce." 

 

"Okaaay," she said grabbing an extra cup and placing it in the box, "Who am I saying this is from?"

 

Cassian paused.  "A secret admirer," he said and it only came out mildly embarassing in tone.

 

The woman's eyes widened and her stature perked up as a smile exploded across her face, "Oh my god that's so cute!!!!! She is so lucky!"

 

He handed her a generous tip and her eyes widened further as she spun to exit the shop, "Thank you so much!  This has made my day!  So sweet!"

 

Nothing Cassian Andor had ever done could be described as cute or sweet.  Apparently this was who he was now.

 

His rough-edged, sometimes crass, often moody, terrifyingly beautiful partner made him soft and fluffy, cute and sweet.  Jyn had ruined him and he couldn't begin to care.

 

..........

 

**Monday February 12th**

 

Cassian waited less than patiently in the line at the bakery, Kay towering next to him.  He fidgeted from side to side as he looked down at his watch.

 

"I could have done this myself," Kay said, perturbed at his nervous twitching, "You are going to be late."

 

Cassian could still make it to court but it would be cutting it close.  This donut order had to be perfect, though.  The note attached was hand written.  Today Jyn would know that it was him.

 

Besides, Kay wouldn't know that cake donuts made her cranky.  He wouldn't know that she adored fudge icing.  Kay would probably assume that she thought fun, colorful heart sprinkles were too cheerful when in fact Cassian knew that she loved them.

 

After finally getting the neatly folded box of sugar-filled delights and affixing the accompanying card on top, Cassian handed it to Kay. 

 

"I hope to god she gets it today.  You are growing impossibly controlling and grumpy as this charade goes on and I am growing impossibly impatient!" Kay said before turning on his heel in the opposite direction.

 

Cassian turned to briskly walk to his car, a million things running through his head.  He tried with little success to push the anxiety away and calm his brain.  He couldn't be distracted in court.

 

This case was important.  He had been called in on it because of his prior experience working for the DEA earlier in his career and his knowledge of the particular group involved.  It had been weird not working with Jyn as they were a pretty inseparable unit but he had been glad that she had been spared dealing with the subject matter.  It wasn't that he thought she couldn't handle it (she was the strongest person he knew), it was just that Cassian knew that the cases involving kids hit her a little harder than the rest.  He was glad to spare her that.

 

He had to go into this with no distraction. 

 

He pulled it off.  For the most part.

 

………………………………………

 

**Tuesday February 13th**

 

Cassian thought for sure that she might text him the day before.  She did, but only to inquire about a piece of evidence in their missing suspect case.

 

It was well into the workday and she hadn't said a thing about the note.  She acted normally, although a bit more reserved. 

 

Cassian had no idea what she was thinking.  It was driving him nuts.

 

He didn't want to bring it up if she didn't, though.  He was following her lead.

 

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Jyn asked from a few file shelves over.  _Oh thank god_.

 

Cassian couldn't help but smile as he replied, "I actually have a date."

 

He watched her face but she would not meet his eye.  Oh how he wished she would. 

 

There was a pause and then her face fell, briefly and subtly, but it was there.  Cassian was confused by her reaction but then when she said, "Oh, that's nice," with no real feeling, his stomach began to sink.

 

His last ditch effort was to ask her if she had a date because he was pathetic and just couldn't give it up, the hope hanging on still.

 

Her non-committal response made him realize that she was uncomfortable.

 

She didn't want him.  He was making her nervous.

 

He had ruined it all.

 

.......

 

**Wednesday February 14th**

 

 

Cassian stared at his ceiling, his body heavily draped on his couch.  His mind betrayed him as his head lifted to check the time on the wall-clock. 

 

6:15.

 

He had asked Jyn to meet him in the park at 6:30.  The dinner reservation was for 7:15.

 

His traitorous gaze fell to the grouping of orange flowers in the vase on his counter.  Their thin, whispering tendrils mocking him.

 

Jyn wasn't coming.

 

He threw his head back with an anguished groan.  Back to the wallowing.

 

Buzz.

 

Cassian eyed his phone on the floor suspectly.  He thought about ignoring it.  His sense of duty, however, required him to pick it up.

 

Leia Organa.

 

Why was Leia calling him?  He had no sooner swiped the screen to answer when Leia's voice demanded, "What the HELL are you doing?!"

 

Cassian's eyes widened as he sat straight up, "What-"?

 

"I was under the impression that you were head over heels for Jyn!" Leia cut him off.

 

"How did you know that?" Cassian finally got in.

 

"Cassian.  EVERYONE knows.  Except apparently Jyn," she growled, "Why is Jyn under the impression that you're on a date?"

 

"It was supposed to be with her! " he all but shouted, and then softer and resigned, "but she didn't want me."

 

Leia paused and Cassian almost thought she had hung up when suddenly colorful expletives screamed into his ear, "Bunch of fucking nerfherders!  Jesus Christ!  Cassian, you better be at that park or I swear to god I will murder you myself!"

 

Cassian was so confused and he tried to reason with her, "Leia, she doesn't want me.  She won't be there."

 

"GET TO THE FUCKING PARK, CASSIAN!" She barked before hanging up on him.

 

Still unconvinced (but very scared of Leia's wrath), Cassian tried to collect himself.  He put on the suit that he had had pressed, attempted to calm his ruffled hair with his fingers, removed the mums from the water, and tucked his wool coat under his arm as he ran out the door.

 

.........

 

Why had he listened to Leia?  Why was he here?  This had all been such a huge mistake.

 

Cassian looked at his watch.  7:38.

 

_5 more minutes_ , the traitorous hope in his heart pleaded.  Cassian sighed, his body collapsing to rest on his knees, sinking into the cold stone of the fountain.

 

Footsteps came down the path, gravel crunching in the crisp evening air.  Whoever it was was going to get quite a laugh.  A rejected man, alone with his rejected flowers and rejected heart on Valentine's Day.  He felt pathetic.

 

 

"It is you!" A familiar voice carried to his ears and at first he didn't believe it.

 

But then he had looked up and it was Jyn and his dejected heart began to beat so fast, optimism rising in every step towards her.

 

She was so beautiful.  She always was but tonight with the smoky eyeliner and the red dress and the smile that lit up her eyes, she was positively glowing. 

 

He had been wrong.  They both had.  A stupid miscommunication that had had both of their head's spinning.

 

But he told her that he loved her and she told him, "Me too."  She kissed him with a smile and a laugh and he didn't think he'd ever tire of this.

 

They walked out of the park, a little later than expected, but together at last none the less.

 

 

........

 

 

"Everytime I look at you, you're not looking at me!  I could only assume that you weren't interested!" Jyn was perched on her couch facing him, bare feet tucked underneath her.

 

"Only because I didn't want to get caught staring!  I didn't want to be that guy," Cassian countered gleefully, air quotes around the final two words.  "At least I didn't completely miss my partner's handwriting on that note!"

 

Jyn rolled her eyes with a groan and slumped into him, her head pressed into his shoulder.  When she turned to gaze up at him, his heart caught in his throat, "I know!  I'm a terrible detective!  I was going so crazy about the whole thing that I actually did not even pay attention to the fact that the note was handwritten."

 

He looked down at her fondly and said, "No, you're a great detective, just maybe not so much when it comes to me."

 

She pulled her head up level with his and although he had never seen this look before, he sure as hell could get used to it.  "I'd like to get better, though.  At figuring you out."  He could feel her breath on his face as she said it.

 

The next thing Cassian knew, Jyn was in his lap, straddling his hips, her tongue in his mouth.  He would have been more than happy to just spend time with her, maybe make-out a little, take it slow, but when she bit his bottom lip and started unknotting his tie, he was cool with where this was headed too.

 

He ran his hands up her thighs, pushing the dress up as he went.  All he could think about now was getting it off of her.  He ran one hand into her hair where it fell in front of her face.  He gave it a light tug and then began to kiss up the throat that it exposed.  She was grinding into his hips and running her fingers roughly through his hair and then his tongue was back in her mouth.

 

All of a sudden she was gone and he missed the weight of her immediately.  When he opened his eyes she was standing in front of him.  She had pulled off his tie and threw it on the couch as she sauntered toward her open bedroom.  The dress that he had been wishing out of existence was up over her head and on the floor in a second.  Once his brain caught up with the fact that Jyn Erso was attempting to lead him to her bedroom in nothing more than a black lace bra and underwear, he bolted up.  He clumsily tried to get his shoes off, tripping into the doorway with the ejection of the second.

 

He fumbled with his belt buckle as Jyn coyly removed the bra.  His brain shorted out for a minute with the reveal of her bare chest.  His pants were half off as he reached for her, hungrily pulling her in for a kiss.  She helped him with the rest.  Pants, fumbled shirt, boxers.  Finally he was hoisting her greedily onto the bed, fingertips pulling roughly on the hem of her panties, sliding them off her legs.  He wasted no time, his fingers finding her wet and wanting. 

 

She pulled him with her as she moved back towards the pillows. "In me.  Now," she ordered, sighing into his mouth above her.

 

Cassian was not one to disagree with anything that this woman said let alone that so he obliged as she guided him into her.  That alone was almost enough to finish him.

 

Cassian wanted to take his time with her.  He wanted to figure out every noise she made and explore every place that initiated it.  Time with her now seemed endless and the thought made him giddy.

 

Right now, however, was not that time.  There were so many feelings and emotions trapped between them in the small, intense space they occupied.  It didn't last long and that was okay.  He grabbed her leg to push it higher.  He touched her between her legs as she moaned.  It was hard and fast and when she came around his name with a breathy cry, he couldn't help but follow her over the edge.

 

After, as he curled around her in the dark, his nose tucked into her neck, Cassian marveled at how differently this day had turned out from his resignation earlier that morning.  Bodhi, ever the optimist, had been right.  It had all worked out, even with how it had looked on the outside. 

 

He nuzzled his head into her and pulled her closer, eliciting a giggle, before falling blissfully to sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leia Organa, saving the universe, one fledgling relationship at a time.
> 
> I love Kay. I had to put in more of my favorite sass bot (although, humanoid here).
> 
> I sometimes imagine that Cassian, while seemingly together on the outside, is actually super self-conscious about his feelings for Jyn. I think it's sweet although also sometimes problematic. 
> 
> Thanks for reading. I'm so glad that people have enjoyed this fluffiness. On a related note, is it normal to imagine your characters in nearly everything? I was listening peripherally to HGTV and now I'm like "Oooo Jyn and Cassian on a home renovation show where the audience definitely ships them but they are clueless! Designer Jyn! Carpenter Cassian! Structural Engineer Kay (?)!" I'm deep in the trash can. HALP!
> 
> theghostoftreebeard on Tumblr

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from a Fiona Apple song (originally Frank Sinatra, I believe) that is lovely and you all should listen to it.
> 
> I don't know much about law enforcement except for what I learned from my police sergeant running buddy, Brooklyn 99, and the occasional 20/20 so please forgive the liberties I took.
> 
> I really want donuts now. Maybe some chocolate cake. Why do all of my stories contain food?!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr @theghostoftreebeard
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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